


Now I Know You're My True North

by greeneggs101



Series: Silhouettes [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, Ignores DLC trailers, M/M, Some angst, for now, post-kh3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21705823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greeneggs101/pseuds/greeneggs101
Summary: He couldn't just sit and wait around anymore. Sora wasn't in that universe, so Riku had to follow him to another one.Riku had to find Sora or the ache in his heart would overwhelm him.So where was he?...Riku…Gritting his teeth, Riku clenched his fist.I’m coming, Sora. I promise.He had been dreaming of Sora for months. The same dream over and over: standing on their combined station of awakening, able to feel Sora, but not see him.Riku spent those dreams hugging Sora as tightly as he could, as if holding Sora in his arms would keep him when Riku woke up. But it was always the same, empty arms and an empty bed beside him.And Riku had grown tired of waiting.My contribution for 2019 soriku week.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Silhouettes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1564471
Comments: 47
Kudos: 139





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my contribution to soriku week! This year I'm trying to make all the prompts fit into one fic (that is also a sequel to series of drabbles I posted earlier this year... but I don't think you need to necessarily read that one first...)
> 
> Day One Prompt: _**I’M NOT DREAMING THIS TIME, RIGHT?** | FIRST TIME_
> 
> The title is a line from "Lost in the Woods" from the Frozen II soundtrack. The soundtrack itself is amazing, but for some reason, this song has been the driving force behind this fic. I just fell in love with the lyrics. 
> 
> Please enjoy!

His head was pounding. And yet even that couldn’t match the ache in his heart. 

That was the first thing Riku thought when he woke up, clutching his hand over his heart. Well, was it really waking up if he never felt like he slept? 

As soon as he opened his eyes, a bright red light assaulted his senses. Why was the light so bright? Riku groaned, standing up and trying to get a hold of his bearings. 

Where was he? Where was Sora?

He wanted to get to where Sora was. That was his last thought when he haphazardly opened a portal and went through it against the advice of both Yen Sid and Aqua. He couldn't just sit and wait around anymore. Sora wasn't in that universe, so Riku had to follow him to another one. 

Riku had to find Sora or the ache in his heart would overwhelm him. 

So where was he? 

_...Riku… _

Gritting his teeth, Riku clenched his fist.  _ I’m coming, Sora. I promise. _

He had been dreaming of Sora for months. The same dream over and over: standing on their combined station of awakening, able to feel Sora, but not see him. 

Riku spent those dreams hugging Sora as tightly as he could, as if holding Sora in his arms would keep him when Riku woke up. But it was always the same, empty arms and an empty bed beside him. 

And Riku had grown _tired_ of waiting. 

Slowly, Riku became aware of the people walking past him, bumping into him with a mumbled apology before they continued on. Without any direction, he also began to walk, staring up at the buildings on either side of the street. 

They were so tall... 

Much taller than the trees back home. They reminded him of the skyscrapers in the World that Never Was… but he knew he couldn’t be in that world. There were too many people milling about. 

So where…? 

_ *Honk! Honk!* _

Riku gasped, staring at the bright lights headed towards him. It was only by instinct that he managed to dodge out of the way, leaning heavily against the side of another building. 

“Get out of the street!” 

Riku ducked his head at the shout. He must have wandered into the street at some point, but everyone else had been doing it too. He was just following the foot traffic. 

He had to get his bearings. He felt so lost like this. No idea where he was and not a familiar landmark insight. 

If only he could reach someplace high enough— 

Wait!

There was something that he had seen Sora do in the Keyblade Graveyard. Hopping place to place and running up high walls. 

Riku knew he could do the same.

Summoning his keyblade, Riku focused on one tall building looking for a—

There! A bright light reflected off a decorative spire about halfway up the building. 

Riku focused intently on it. Then he jumped. 

Magic flowed through him as he lept towards the light, landing nimbly. In the split second, he had before gravity took over and he lost his balance, he turned quickly, focusing again on someplace higher—

There! The moon reflected off another decorative spire farther up another building. He bounced off the building and jumped again. With each jump, Riku rose higher and higher until he could stick his hand out and grab the ledge of a tall building. Pulling himself up onto the roof of the building, Riku took a moment to catch his breath. It was windier up here, and colder, but he found he could breathe easier than when he was on the ground. 

Taking a deep breath, Riku looked out at the city below him. 

It was so much bigger than he imagined. 

The city skyline seemed to hit the horizon and keep going, the lights from streetlamps and moving cars creating a crisscrossing glowing maze around the streets far below. 

But Riku managed to ignore all that. He was only looking for one special light. The light that connected to his own. 

_ Riku… _

_ I’m here… _ he answered in his heart. _ I’m here… just show me where you are. _

With sudden clarity, he spotted him. A dazzling light that outshone those around him. 

_ Sora.  _

If asked, Riku couldn’t say how he knew that the light was Sora’s, but he could feel it in his heart. And that's what mattered. 

With a gasp that was a mix of shock and relief, Riku searched for the quickest way to get to that light. His only landmark in this confusing world. 

He jumped off his tall building and onto shorter ones until he could reach the ground safely. He could no longer physically see Sora’s light, but he could still feel it. He took off running. He crossed streets without looking, dodging around cars and pedestrians, He forgot all about feeling lost, feeling confused. 

Sora was so close. 

“Sora!” He called out, though he knew he would still be too far away for Sora to hear him. He turned another corner. 

There!

He could only see Sora’s back, but there was no mistaking that spiky brown hair, the red hood, the huge shoes. Sora. 

Riku’s heart beat double time in a rhythm that had nothing to do with how fast he had just run. 

Sora. Sora was— 

Sora was still walking away from him, hands in his pocket. 

“Sora!” Riku called out, vocally and in his heart. “Sora! Wait!”

The crowd seemed to surge around him, like a barrier preventing him from passing. 

_ No! _

Not again. 

He was not gonna just let Sora slip out of reach again. 

“SORA!” He cried out. 

That seemed to grab the attention of the pedestrians pushing at him. 

It also grabbed Sora’s attention as well. Spiky brown hair finally stopped. Riku watched as Sora almost turned around, but seemed to stop at the last second. As if he was afraid. 

“Sora.” Riku’s voice was breathless, his heart light. He pushed his way past pedestrians, not caring for the words they called him. That didn’t matter.

When he was within touching distance, Riku reached out, his hand shaking uncontrollably. 

He was just as scared of this moment as Sora was. 

What if he reached out, and his hand passed right thru? What if Sora turned around and then just disappeared on him. 

For months, Riku could only feel Sora in his dreams. He hadn’t actually laid eyes on him in months. But an image of Sora was ingrained on Riku’s heart. He would never forget him, no matter what. 

Riku took a deep breath. Sora was so close. He couldn’t get scared now. 

His hand steadied as he finally laid it on Sora’s shoulder. 

He felt Sora jerk and heard the audible gasp. Suddenly Sora turned around, blue eyes wide in shock. 

Riku tried to remain calm, but he felt his breath hitch and his eyes burn. It really was Sora. Right in front of him. 

“Sora…” he breathed out not sure what else to say. “Sora I… I’m not dreaming this time, right?” 

Sora chuckled, tears spilling over and he hurriedly wiped them away. “You’re not dreaming if I’m not.” 

Riku raised his hand, tracing under Sora’s eye where tears were still spilling over. The tears were warm, and Sora was warm. He could hear Sora’s quick intake of breath, feel his heartbeat resonate with his own. “Sora…” 

“You found me,” Sora said, his breath hitching in a sob. “You— you really found me.” 

“I promised,” Riku said, “I promised I would.” 

He suddenly felt arms around his waist as Sora buried his face in Riku’s chest. Instinctively, Riku wrapped his arms around Sora in a tight hug. He was so warm. 

He buried his face in Sora’s hair. “I missed you.” 

Sora breathed out a cross between a laugh and a sob in reply, squeezing his arms tighter. 

“I love you.” Riku continued. “I love you and I missed you.” 

“I love you too,” Sora responded, words a little muffled. “I love you and I want to talk about everything with you.” 

“Yeah,” Riku agreed. 

Sora was so warm. 

Against his will, Riku felt his eyelids grow heavy. 

“Riku?” 

“Hmm?” Riku responded lazily. Did Sora say something? 

“Riku, are you falling asleep?”

Was he?

Sora was so, so warm. And comforting… and here…

Riku tried to shake off the tired feeling, but it fell back on him like a thick blanket. 

Sora was here. He could relax now. 

“Riku!” 

“‘Mm okay,” He tried to reassure Sora, even as he felt himself dozing off. “T’red” 

“Riku! You’re too heavy to fall asleep on me! Riku!” 

But Riku couldn’t move even if he wanted too. Sora was so comfortable. He let his eyes slip closed in sleep, listening to Sora’s panicked shouts. 

It was fine… 

He had found Sora…

Now he could get some rest. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day Two: _**I CAN’T CHEW HIM OUT LIKE HE DESERVES… IF I’VE BEEN ASLEEP.** | DISTANCE_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy! :D

Sora grunted as Riku’s muscles completely relaxed into him. Why was Riku so heavy? It can’t  _ all  _ be muscle, can it? 

Still… the weight just cemented the ‘Riku is here’ feeling. The ‘Riku is coming’ hope felt vindicated against all the doubts that had plagued Sora since he had landed here. Something in Sora settled into place as Riku’s warmth seeped through his jacket and shirt, as his puffs of air from his breathing brushed against the skin of Sora’s neck. Every warm breath sent a shiver down his spine. 

With a shaking hand, Sora raised his hand to run through Riku’s short hair. It hadn’t grown much since had last seen him just days, or maybe months, (he hoped it wasn’t years) ago. Maybe not as much time had passed as he had feared. 

Every world ran on a different time axis. Riku taught him that once. But Sora didn’t know how different  _ universes  _ worked. He had lost all sense of time completely, the days melding together and the clocks not making any sense. 

The only thing that  _ did  _ make sense was the dreams he had of Riku: being held in Riku’s arms and hearing his heartbeat were the best dreams ever. 

And now he had Riku here with him. 

Though Riku was asleep. 

And very,  _ very  _ heavy. 

With a grunt, Sora managed to shift Riku’s sleeping form, placing one arm around his shoulder and then bending so he could shift Riku’s weight completely over his shoulders. His legs still dragged a little, but at least Sora could carry him a short distance. “Why’d you gotta grow into a giant, Riku?” 

Riku, of course, just snored in response. 

With a sigh, Sora began to walk. He had a vague destination in mind.

He hoped Neku wouldn’t mind the company. 

Or someone crashing on his couch.

—

“So… he found you then?” 

Sora nodded and gently placed Riku down on the couch, folding his legs so he fit on the cushions a little better. Taking the blanket Neku offered him, Sora tucked it around Riku. “Yeah. He just… showed up when I was out walking. I thought I was hearing things at first. That it might have just been wishful thinking or something.” 

He pushed silver bangs away from Riku’s face, admiring his friend’s sleeping form. Riku really was very, very pretty. Handsome too, of course, but pretty. Like dawn breaking on the horizon. 

How had he not noticed it before? Why did everything have to come crashing down on him the night before the big battle? 

And why didn’t he just say something back then? 

Sora had a better understanding of what his feelings for Riku were now. The stress of winning the fight and of keeping his promise to Kairi had now lifted. And strangely enough, it was Riku’s absence that seemed to make Sora’s feelings grow too big to be contained any longer. 

The thought that he might not ever see Riku again nearly broke him. He hadn’t cried that hard since he had been a child. 

But that didn’t matter now. 

Riku was here. 

Sora took a seat on the floor next to Riku and took one strong hand in his own, absently rubbing his thumb against Riku’s palm, tracing the outer edges of the fabric of his glove. Riku’s fingers twitched a bit, but he didn’t wake up. 

How did Riku even get here? Sora wasn’t even sure how  _ he  _ got here. Or why. Or when. He was pretty sure he had seen Kairi back to the islands. But then… 

Nothing.

Sora rubbed Riku’s fingers absently. Maybe Riku would know? 

“You should get some sleep too, Sora.” 

Sora startled, his hand squeezing Riku’s reflexively and part of him calling on something that wasn’t there anymore.

He had forgotten about Neku! 

Sora laughed quietly, rubbing the back of his head with the hand not holding Riku’s. “Nah… I gotta say something to Riku.” 

“Well, he’s asleep,” Neku said, crossing his arms. “I don’t think he’ll hear you.” 

“Well, yeah, not now.” Sora grinned, knowing it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “But when he wakes up. Look how tired he is! Falling asleep on me as soon as he got here. He hasn’t slept in months. I gotta tell him off! I’m not worth him losing sleep.” 

Neku snorted in response and looked away. 

“What?” Sora asked. 

“I may have never technically met him, but I’ve heard Joshua, Beat, Shiki and Rhyme talk about him. If there’s anyone over whom Riku would have lost a bit of sleep, it’s gonna be you. Just like you lost sleep worrying about him.” 

Sora felt his face heat up. “Yeah well… I still gotta chew him out like he deserves. And I can’t do that if I’m asleep when he wakes up.” 

Neku sighed. “Well, alright. But there’s extra pillows and blankets in the cabinet if you change your mind. I gotta get to sleep anyway.”

“Oh… is it that late?” 

Neku looked at him strangely. “The clocks still not working right for you?”

Sora shook his head. “No… it’s so weird. Like… one day is just bleeding into the next. I’m scared. If I fall asleep… what if Riku is only here for this one night in this one moment and, if I fall asleep, I’ll miss saying goodbye or something?” 

Neku looked at him with a mix of disbelief and pity. “I doubt Riku would have come all this way just to fall asleep and disappear.” 

“I— yeah.” Sora nodded in agreement, though he still felt some doubt surface. Returning his focus to Riku’s hand he continued to absently trace the peaks and valleys of Riku’s fingers. “I know. I just…” 

After a moment of silence, Sora heard Neku step closer, then felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

“Joshua is still looking for answers. It’s like… you’re in a limbo state. You haven't been given a mission or task like I was when I was... dead, but time still isn’t flowing right for you. But, we’ll figure it out.” 

Sora nodded again. “Yeah! And with Riku here, we’ll figure it out in no time!” 

Neku breathed out a noise that might have been a chuckle. “Right. Well, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Okay!” Sora raised his free hand in a wave goodnight, and then returned his attention to Riku. 

The silver-haired boy hadn’t stirred at all during their talk. His chest still rose and fell evenly, Perfect silver eyelashes laid delicately on pale cheeks, highlighting Riku’s distinct cheekbones. Silver bangs had shifted back onto Riku’s face, his nose wrinkling for a moment in discomfort until Sora reached up to gently push the hair away. His fingers lingered over Riku’s face for a moment, brushing against the corner of his mouth.

Sora had a sudden urge to kiss Riku. He remembered that evening that felt so long ago now. When their sparring session on the beach and had ended in a wrestling match. As Sora pinned Riku to the sand and stared down at his pretty face, he had the same thought. 

_ I want to kiss him… _

At the time, his heart fast heartbeat and overwhelming feelings confused him to the point of tears. But, now Sora felt calm and secure in his love for Riku. But he didn’t want their first kiss to be when Riku was asleep, so Sora settled for a soft kiss on the cheek instead. 

Pulling away, he resumed his silent vigil on the floor next to Riku, gently holding his hand. He had so much he wanted to ask. Did Kairi really make it back okay? What were Roxas and Xion doing now? What about Ven, and Aqua, and Terra? Did Lea ever manage to call his keyblade again? 

But Sora mulled over the question he wanted to ask most of all. 

Did Riku still want to talk? The sparring match on the beach was a long time ago now. Maybe Riku’s feelings had changed. That would just be Sora’s luck: to realize his feelings for Riku just as Riku’s own feelings had waned. 

But maybe not. After all, Sora realized that what he felt for Riku wasn’t new. It had been there for a long time, a gentle warm love that lingered in the background. Never vying for attention or taking up more room than needed. And it really wasn’t. It was something he had always felt when looking at Riku, so he didn’t know it was anything life-changing. It was what he had  _ always  _ felt for Riku. He was just too dense to realize that the emotion was  _ love  _ and Sora had meant it in a way that was more than best friends. 

He wondered if that was how Riku felt. 

If so… 

Sora swallowed around the lump in his throat. If Riku had always felt just like this about Sora, how could he stand it for so long? How had Sora missed it? 

But… he supposed that Riku wasn’t really one for words. That was more Sora. While Sora was always willing to put his feelings into whining and excited shouts and upset crying, Riku would put his feelings into action. His frustration over the lack of change and excitement on the islands turned became a desperate need to build a raft. His fear of loneliness turned into a decision to open a door and fall to darkness. 

Maybe his love manifested in the year he spent in darkness. Or in his desperation to save Sora from eternal sleep. 

Or in his sacrifice. 

Sora clenched a fist over his heart, shaking his head. 

No. He wouldn’t think of that right now. Not when Riku was here and in front of him and alive. 

Riku grunted quietly in his sleep, and his hand squeezed Sora’s loosely, as if he could tell that Sora was upset, even while unconscious. 

Sora laughed quietly. “I’m okay, Riku. You just rest. I’ll give you a stern talking-to about your reckless stunts later.” 

Riku squeezed his hand again. “S’ra.”His eyelids flickered as if he wished to wake, but his body wouldn’t let him. 

“I’m here,” Sora whispered, leaning up to gently kiss Riku’s cheek once more. “Sleep.” 

Riku sighed softly, dropping into a deeper phase of sleep. 

Sora hummed quietly, squeezing Riku’s hand and returning to his thoughts. He would wait till Riku was awake. Then they could talk. About anything and everything. 

Sora continued to hum absently, a gentle lullaby he had heard somewhere before. In a dream maybe. It was so soothing, like a heartbeat…

He laid his head on the couch, right next to Riku’s. He could close his eyes for a moment. It would be fine. He wasn’t going to sleep. Just...closing...his…

He fell into dreams before he finished the thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, a quick disclaimer: I have not played nor watched a let's play of The World Ends With You. I know, I know... bad Green! Especially with what we think and know and theorize now. I know. But, I haven't had time. I've gotten the gist of the game, but... 
> 
> Neku and the others won't make much of an appearance, as that might add in too many plot elements when I really just wanted this to be 93% Riku and Sora pining over each other and hugging. With just a smidge of plot. I hope to do more plot-wise with the TWEWY gang in future fics. Maybe once I've actually seen the game in some way. :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: _**IF THE WORLD IS MADE OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS… WE’LL BE THE DARKNESS.** | REMIX_

_ *Crash!*  _

Riku gasped, jumping off of the surface he had been sleeping on. Sora! Where was—

“Whoops… Sorry.” 

Riku blinked at the unfamiliar voice. When nothing jumped out to attack him right away, his heartbeat slowly returned to a regular tempo. He was sitting on a couch, with a warm fuzzy blanket draped over him, which had been nice, but now it felt too stifling. He pushed the blanket off, then turned his head, finding a somewhat familiar boy awkwardly holding a frying pan. 

“Do you, uh, want some eggs?” 

_ Huh? _

“Where—” Riku reached up to clutch his head, feeling an ache coming on. But when he tried to move his other hand, he found it clutched tightly. His heart stopped, suddenly remembering the events from last night. 

_ Sora? _

Riku barely breathed as he looked down, but when he saw spiky brown hair and a dozing, sleeping face with that wonderful, perfect, dorky smile, he let out a sigh of relief. Sora. It wasn't a dream, Sora was here…

“So, eggs?”

Riku glanced back up at the other boy. “Er… sure. I guess.” 

The boy nodded and pulled out a whole carton from the fridge. He didn’t seem inclined to say much else to Riku at that moment, so Riku turned his sights back on Sora. 

His head laid against the couch, a small bit of drool leaking out of his half-opened mouth. Despite his relaxed state, his grip on Riku’s hand was tight. With his free hand, Riku reached out to rub Sora’s hair. 

A warm tingling sensation traveled from his hand up through his arm at the touch as a feeling of relief washed over him again. Sora was real and here. He didn’t look any worse for wear either. No visible cuts or bruises or wounds. He was here and whole. 

Riku really couldn’t ask for more. 

Except for maybe a glimpse at sky blue eyes.   


For now, he moved the blanket so it draped around Sora's shoulders, and rubbed his spiky brown hair again. He had almost forgotten how soft it was, the spikes springing back whenever Riku ran his hand through them. Sora mumbled and shifted in his sleep, his grip on Riku's hand squeezing a bit. 

“Here…” 

Riku turned to look at the plate of eggs shoved in his face, then up to the boy offering them. “Thanks… Neku, right?” 

The boy nodded, “Yeah, and you’re Riku.” He nodded in Sora’s direction. “He said you would come.” 

“Yeah?” Riku maneuvered until he could sit on the couch next to Sora’s sleeping form. Sora continued to doze, his hands still grasping Riku’s own, so Riku awkwardly tried to balance his plate and eat. 

“Yeah,” Neku confirmed, quickly eating his own plate of eggs and didn’t say much else. 

Riku frowned at the silence but was distracted when he felt Sora’s hands tighten a bit before letting go completely. When he turned to look, he saw Sora’s nose wrinkle a bit before blue eyes blinked open, one hand coming up to rub brown spikes absently. Gently, Riku placed his own hand in Sora’s hair, rubbing fondly. “Hey, sleepyhead.” 

“R’ku?” Sora mumbled, yawning before he suddenly froze, blue eyes peeking up at Riku. “Ri—”

The half-eaten plate of eggs slipped from Riku’s grasp with Sora launched himself into Riku’s arms, hugging tight. 

“Riku!” 

“Sora.” Riku pulled Sora to him, burying his face in Sora’s shoulder and breathing deep. They had just hugged last night, but Riku wasn’t gonna let that stop him from taking as many hugs as Sora was willing to give.

“You’re still here!” 

Riku chuckled into Sora’s shirt. “Of course I am. I’m not going to go home without you. I promise.” 

He felt Sora sigh against his chest. An odd sort of sigh that wasn’t happy or sad. “Sora?” 

“I’m… gonna go…” 

They both turned to look at Neku inching towards the door. 

“Oh… Thanks for letting me stay again!” Sora called, removing one arm from around Riku’s waist to wave. “And thanks for letting Riku steal your couch!” 

Neku nodded once and then was out the door. 

“So… how’d you manage to drag me here?” Riku asked, still a little concerned about that odd sigh, but figured it would be better to ease into it. 

“It wasn’t easy,” Sora said, sticking his tongue out at Riku. “What did you eat in the realm of darkness? Bricks?” 

Riku threw his head back when he laughed. “Well, someone spent their childhood lifting logs rather than taking naps all the time.” Lifting one arm to flex, he chuckled at Sora’s pout. 

And did not miss the way Sora’s face reddened a bit. 

Did that mean Sora might actually—

Riku bit his lip, lowering his arm. He had promised himself he wouldn’t think of that evening on the beach. When he thought for a second that Sora might kiss him, might cross that line. But then Sora had pulled away, panicked, and Riku did what he always would do, comforted Sora. 

But did that moment mean something? 

He glanced back at Sora, finding a wide grin on his face, but there were tears spilling over as well. “Sora? What’s wrong? Your—” He reached up to gently brush the tears away. 

Sora startled, raising his own hand as well, seemingly shocked to find it wet. “Oh… I guess. I don’t know how I feel now that you’re here.” 

“Huh?” 

Slowly, Sora shifted off of Riku to sit right next to him on the couch. He leaned into Riku’s side, and Riku’s arm naturally went around Sora’s shoulders, pulling him in tight. 

“What’s wrong?” Riku repeated. 

“It’s… I—” Sora breathed deeply, seeming to gather courage. “Do you remember when we sat on that dark beach? After we defeated Xemnas?” 

Riku hummed in acknowledgment. 

“You said something… about how the world was made of light and darkness. And if it was, we’d be the darkness.” Sora looked down at his hands. “You said it like it was a choice.” 

Riku’s frown deepened. “I wasn’t— Sora I—” 

“I don’t think I have a choice anymore.” Sora’s voice was a near whisper. “I— I can’t summon my keyblade anymore. Time doesn’t feel right… I— I don’t—”

Riku turned so he could draw Sora in his arms fully. “It’s okay, Sora. Shh…” 

Sora hiccuped into his shirt. “Riku… I don’t know if I can go home. And I— I don’t want to say goodbye to you.” 

Riku shook his head, pulling away just enough to look Sora in the eyes, gently brushing away another batch of tears. “Never. I’m never saying goodbye to you, Sora. I promise. If a choice was made for you, it was made for me too. I just want to be with you.” 

Through the tears, Sora smiled, and Riku leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. They sat like that for what felt like hours, just holding each other. Slowly, Sora stopped crying, and Riku had breathed in enough of Sora's scent that he could fully convince himself that this wasn't a dream. They sat a moment longer, content to just be in each other's arms. 

Just when Riku thought he would fall asleep again, he felt Sora pull away. Not far enough to be completely out of his arms, but enough that he could talk without mumbling. 

“I want to talk about everything with you,” Sora said, repeating words he had once said in a dream long ago. He raised a hand to wipe under his eyes, dispersing the last of the tears. “But first, I—”

Riku frowned, tilting his head as Sora bit his lip and avoided his gaze. It wasn’t like Sora to be so shy. “You… what?” 

“I want to go on a date!” 

The words were spoken quickly and loudly, but also enthusiastically. Sora turned back to Riku and grabbed his shoulders, staring him straight in the eyes.

“I, Sora, want to take you, Riku, out on a date!” Sora declared, evidently needing to make it clear. 

Riku felt his face heat up. A date? “Sora, I—” 

The determination in Sora’s face faltered a bit, his gaze dropping and cheeks reddening. 

Fumbling for an answer, Riku finally settled on. “There’s no need to be so formal about it. You scared me more than seduced me.” 

Sora’s face instantly turned a shade of red Riku hadn’t seen before. “Riku! That’s not— why you gotta say things like that?” 

“Like what? Riku teased. “You gotta practice being smooth Sora. That was—” He cut off when he saw Sora’s face take on a downtrodden look again. He might have gone a bit too far with the teasing.

Raising a hand, Riku ran it through Sora’s hair, smiling with Sora nuzzled into his palm. “Of course I’ll go on a date with you. Where are we going?” 

Sora seemed to falter for a bit. “Well… I— uh…”    


Riku chuckled, not even sure what there was to do in this strange place. “We could—” He was cut off by Sora’s finger on his lips. 

“Shh, Riku. I’m taking you out on a date, so I gotta think of it. We’re gonna… uh…” Sora suddenly sat up, his eyes brightening with an idea. “We’re gonna walk around the city. I can’t wait to show it to you!!!” 

“Okay,” Riku agreed, excited to do anything with Sora. Even if it meant putting off his plans to search for a way home for a little while. 

Especially if it meant a date. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just in a very "soft boys cuddling" kind of mood. Let Sora and Riku cuddle and hold each other. It's all I want...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day Four: _**NAH. I GUESS… I’M JUST SAD.** | SECRET_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE ARE STILL IN A SOFT BOYS MOOD AND THE TRAILER DID _NOTHING_ TO CHANGE THAT!!!! 
> 
> The trailer... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Sora laughed as Riku’s head again looked upward, shielding his eyes against the bright sunlight. “You’re gonna make yourself blind doing that.” 

“They’re just so tall,” Riku reiterated for the twelfth time. “Why are they so tall? Who designed them? How were they even built?”

Sora shrugged. “Carefully, I guess. So they don’t knock the others down.” 

He squeezed Riku’s hand, still intertwined with his. He hadn’t let go since they left Neku’s apartment, and Sora had no plans to do so now. Riku didn’t seem to want to either. If anything, he squeezed tighter whenever Sora laughed or smiled. 

Sora loved the feeling. 

“You’ve been to a city before,” Sora pointed out. “You spent, like, a whole year staking out The World That Never Was, remember?” 

“I was a little preoccupied to go sightseeing.” 

The words weren’t said in any sort of sad or angry tone, just as a matter of fact. Sora couldn’t help but grin softly. He had never heard Riku talk about that year in a tone other than sad or regretful, but now— 

Well, Sora liked that Riku sounded less sad about it. If only none of that had happened… But if it hadn’t, would Riku still be the person he was now? Or would there have been another Riku in his place? 

What would have happened to Sora himself?

He suddenly felt Riku squeeze his hand and pull, and with a start, sora realized he had been lagging behind a bit, lost in his thoughts.

“Hey, you’re the one who’s supposed to be leading this date,” Riku teased with a grin, “C’mon. Impress me!” 

Sora laughed, squeezing Riku’s hand in return. “Okay, smarty pants. Just for that, you’re buying lunch.” 

“But you’re taking me out on the date,” Riku pointed out, “You can’t retract that offer now.” 

Sora sighed, chuckling again when Riku sent him another teasing look. “Okay, okay. We’re almost there, just calm down.”

“I’m not the one getting lost in my thoughts.” 

Right… Sora had been pretty lost. He just— 

Everything was happening so fast. It felt like yesterday and years ago that he arrived here. And now Riku was here as well. What did it mean? Were things not over like he had hoped? Was something else coming? Why...

Why can't the fighting just be over? He had lost his ability to wield. He just wanted to spend time with Riku. 

Was that so bad? 

“What’s wrong?” Riku asked, squeezing Sora’s hand tight and bringing him back to the present. “Are… are you mad I came here or something?” 

“What?” Sora quickly shook his head. “Nah, I guess. I'm just sad.” He bit his lip, unsure of how to explain it. “Sad… and overthinking things.” 

“That’s not like you,” Riku said, gently pulling Sora away from the middle of the sidewalk so they could talk under the awning of a small bagel shop instead. 

“What is me?” Sora asked. “I don’t… Riku, I don’t even know anymore who I _am_ without my friends. Or my powers. I can’t even summon a keyblade anymore I’m usel—” 

Suddenly, Sora was pulled up against Riku’s chest, a loud and steady heartbeat in his ear as he felt Riku tighten his arms around him in an embrace. 

“Don’t say that.” 

The words were whispered harshly, and there was a hitch in Riku’s breathing. The warm chest just under Sora’s ear heaved a bit and the arms tightened. 

Was Riku crying? 

Sora hadn’t seen Riku cry in ages. He raised his own arms to wrap around Riku’s waist, holding him just as tight. “I— but I—” 

“You’re Sora. You’re brave and kind and wonderful and just so, so amazing that I always find myself in awe of everything you do.” Riku bent his head so he was whispering the words into Sora’s hair, but Sora could hear every line. 

He felt tears prick at his eyes. “Riku… Do you— I mean, I… I love you. I love you more than just as a friend. I love you.” 

A sort of weight that had settled onto Sora’s shoulders around the time he woke up in this world began to lift as he said the words, so he continued. “I love you because you’re all those things too. I love you because you make me feel safe and warm, you reassure me like a sunrise. I love you for all those things and I love you so much it can hurt, but it’s a good hurt. I— I’m sorry I didn’t—” 

“I love you too,” Riku replies, raising a hand to run through Sora’s hair. “I love you. Not because you have lots of friends, or because you can wield a keyblade. I love you because when we were kids I ran into your sandcastle on accident and rather than get upset you just wanted me to help you rebuild it to make it better. I love you because when I was an idiot, you still believed in me. I love you because you never stopped looking, and I love you because you are so strong and brave. That moment when you swooped in to save the day when I needed you most in the realm of darkness? I loved you for years before that but I knew then that I would love you forever.” 

Sora chuckled, feeling his eyes burn with tears. “That’s a long time, Riku…” 

“I would have waited forever.” 

Sora felt the tears stream over. “Forever’s a long time... What if we had never seen each other again?” 

“We would have,” Riku vowed. “I would have  _ never  _ stopped searching.” 

Sora felt his face heat up and he hid his blush in Riku’s shirt, snuggling in close and relishing in the feeling of Riku’s arms tightening around him. He had been lost for what felt like ages, wandering through different worlds and different universes, searching for a landmark of some sort to establish his bearings. Looking for Riku. 

And now he was home in Riku’s arms. Safe and warm. 

They embraced each other in comforting silence until Sora felt his emotions ease and more thoughts and questions started to bubble up. He decided to ask one of the more pressing ones that had been bothering him since he had arrived here. 

“How is everyone?” Sora asked. “Roxas and Xion and the others? And…and Kairi?” 

Sora hoped they were doing okay. Especially Kairi. He would hate it if—

If all this had been for nothing. 

Riku’s hand rubbed down Sora’s back in a comforting gesture, his other hand threading through Sora’s hair. 

“They’re fine,” Riku murmured, the words washing over Sora in a wave of reassurance. He leaned into Riku’s chest, placing an ear over that familiar heartbeat.

“Roxas and Xion are gonna start school soon. Namine too. Ven, Aqua, and Terra are still cleaning up the Land of Departure.” Riku continued. 

Sora looked up, meeting beautiful teal eyes. “And Kairi?” 

“Fine. She’s training under Aqua now.” 

Sora sighed softly and returned to his place leaning against Riku’s chest. “Good. I’m glad…” He tightened his arms around Riku’s waist, finding just as much comfort in holding Riku as he was pretty sure Riku felt holding him. “I’m… really glad that everyone’s okay.” 

“They all miss you too,” Riku said, running a hand down Sora’s back. “Just like I did.” 

Sora nodded, unable to say more. Believing that everyone was fine and hearing it was vastly different and he teared up in relief. He buried his face in Riku’s shirt. Luckily, Riku didn’t say anything about his shirt slowly getting wet. Instead, Sora felt Riku’s hand card through his hair comfortingly. 

“I think I missed you more though,” Riku continued, his voice still soft. “I missed you with my whole heart. Every day without seeing you was hard… harder than the year you were asleep.” 

“Yeah?” Sora sniffed. “It was hard for me too. I didn’t… What if I—” 

“I told you. I would have never stopped looking for you.” 

Sora loved and appreciated the resolution and confidence in Riku’s tone. It was just what he needed to hear right now. 

He felt Riku’s hand on his face, tilting his head up so their eyes met. 

To Sora, it felt like Riku was asking a question, so Sora nodded. He would trust Riku with whatever he wanted. 

Riku leaned down further until his lips touched Sora’s own in a gentle kiss. 

Sora gasped against Riku’s mouth, but pushed into it the second Riku tried to pull away. Through the roaring in his ears, he heard Riku make a small quiet whine in his throat and Sora stepped closer still, pressing up into Riku’s lips. It felt so good like his whole body was made of magic, simultaneous spells of fire, air, water, and blizzard covering his body and making him tingle inside and out. Riku’s hand tightened in his hair, sending another shiver through Sora’s body. 

This was perfect. 

Shame they had to break away to breathe. 

Sora felt his face heat up once more as their lips disconnected. Had they really done that? Just… gone for it. No talking about it beforehand? Just a quick, wonderful, over with way too soon kiss? 

Sora immediately wanted another one. So he leaned up and captured Riku’s lips once more. 

Riku groaned, the sound reverberating through their joined lips and Sora whimpered in return. That felt so good. 

Sora broke away before things got too heated, his face so hot he wasn’t sure there was blood flowing to anywhere else. 

Riku’s face matched a bit, but he didn’t let Sora go farther away from their embrace. “So… uh…” 

“Uhh…” Sora was at a loss for words. “Well… we did things a bit out of order.” 

Riku let out a startled laugh. “We— We did?” 

Sora nodded, still not sure what to do. “Yeah. It was in this book that Shiki let me borrow. You’re supposed to finish the date, walk your date back to their door, and kiss them.” What did he do now that he and Riku kissed? Walk Riku home? But… they couldn't get home. 

Should he walk Riku back to Neku’s apartment? That would be awkward…

Riku continued to laugh. “I— I think that’s okay.” His laughs quieted to a chuckle as he pulled Sora in once more, kissing him softly a third time before pulling away. “Besides, when have we ever done anything by the book? We’ve always taken things at our own pace and in our own order. I’m okay with kissing before the date if you are…” 

Sora nodded his head quickly. “Yeah! Kissing is good! We need to do that more often.” 

They shared another round of laughter, Sora leaning heavily into Riku as he did so. He missed this. Missed it so much. 

He hoped that he would be able to spend more days like this with Riku. If they ever made it out of here, Sora would make sure of it. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day Five: _**I LIKE GETTING DRAGGED INTO YOUR MESSES.** | AFTERMATH_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one is a bit later than usual 😅 The next couple might be late as well. This is a very busy week at work, but I will finish! :D Please enjoy! ^_^

Riku couldn’t drop the grin from his face even if he wanted to. Sora kissed him. Sora _loved_ him.

While Riku had long ago accepted Sora’s affection in any form it would come, whether that was as a best friend or respective rival, having Sora’s love as… as a boyfriend, was amazing. It was beyond his wildest daydreams. He hadn’t even let himself think such a thing until that evening on the beach when he thought Sora might have meant something. But even then, he had firmly stamped it down. 

But now he wanted nothing more than to wrap Sora up in his arms and kiss his lips and his forehead and his cheeks just to see Sora smile. Though it would seem that he didn’t have to do anything as Sora’s grin had yet to leave his face. It lit up his whole face and Riku was fairly certain it would outshine Kingdom Hearts itself. 

“Almost there!” Sora repeated, pulling Riku along the sidewalk. 

After their kiss under the bagel shop awning, Sora insisted that they finish their date so they could return to kissing, though Riku wasn’t entirely convinced that they needed to follow any sort of order. Finishing their date seemed to make Sora happy though, so Riku went along with it. 

Soon, they had reached an area of the city that was green with trees and fields of grass. A park in the city? 

“Isn’t it pretty?” Sora said, his grin somehow widening even further. “Rhyme showed it to me during one of my first days here and I try to come every day. It’s a little less… overwhelming than the city itself. It’s not home… but it’s quieter.” 

Riku nodded, already feeling a difference. While the sound of traffic still echoed around them, it wasn’t as loud. “It’s beautiful. I can see why you like it.” 

“But you haven’t seen the best part yet!” 

Sora dragged him further along the park’s pathways, dodging around other people in the park and taking several turns that already confused Riku. 

But it was okay. He didn’t need to know where he was. He had Sora right in front of him. That was the only landmark he needed. 

After a moment though, he found that he could smell what he figured was their destination before they actually arrived. The heavenly smell of rising bread wafted towards them as they turned another corner. About halfway down the path was a small building and several customers already lined up around it. 

“This place sells the best lunch food. Almost as good as what I used to make with Little Chef. But there's these hand pie things filled with beef… or maybe they’re dumplings? But they can also fill them with tofu, which is like, this not-meat protein! I remember that they had that in San Fransokyo too. Or just they can fill one with just veggies. They’re amazing. And their muffins in the morning are amazing!” Sora explained the rest of the menu as they got in line. “Does any of that sound good to you?” 

Riku tilted his head, thinking about it. “I trust you to order. You know what I like.” 

“Okay!” 

When it was their turn, Sora rattled off an order so quickly that Riku didn’t quite catch it all, but given Sora’s eagerness, he figured it must have been good. The bakers evidently didn’t find the order as complicated as Riku thought it would be as they quickly handed Sora three small packages. 

“Here!” Sora passed one package over. “One veggie-filled hand pie for you, and one beef pie for me. You can try mine if you want. I also got a tofu one as well if you wanna try it.” 

“I’ll think about it.” Riku took a hesitant bite from his meat pie. The spices hit his tastebuds first: something lemony and ginger that was flavorful without being overwhelming. The veggies were cooked just how he liked them, soft but not mushy. He quickly took another bite and looked down to find Sora scarfing down his pie like it was his last meal. “Slow down, you’ll choke.” 

“They’re just, so good,” Sora mumbled around his bite of pie but obligingly finished chewing and swallowing that bite before taking another. “I keep trying to get the recipe. If I ever get back to little chef’s bistro, I definitely want to share it with him. The owner here just grins and says it’s a family secret whenever I ask, but I think I figured out the base of it and I'm pretty sure I can recreate it if we get back.” 

“You’ll get back. We’ll be home before you know it.” Riku didn’t like how home was still a “what if” to Sora. They were going to get home. One way or another.

“Hmm…” Sora acknowledged, then turned to Riku, a sweet grin on his face. “But I’m already home if I’m with you.” 

Riku’s heart skipped a beat at the words and he felt his face heat up. Sighing deeply, Riku wrapped a free hand around Sora’s waist and squeezed tight. “You’re my home too. But we’re getting back to the islands. Or twilight town, or Radiant Garden. Or wherever it is you want to go. We’ll get there.” 

Sora hummed again and leaned into Riku’s embrace. “You’re right. We will.” 

“We will,” Riku reiterated. He didn’t know how, but he could feel it in his heart. They would make it back. No matter what. 

After they finished their lunch, splitting the last tofu-filled hand pie, they continue their date by walking along the park’s pathways, talking about everything. Sora’s adventures in other worlds, Riku’s quest in the realm of darkness. After some prodding, Sora also explained a little about what he remembered of his quest to save Kairi before he woke up in this world. 

“My memory kind of… ends after I saw Kairi at the paopu tree. I don’t… I’m pretty sure I could wield my keyblade at that moment, but after that I—” Sora held his hand out, closing his eyes on concentration, but nothing happened. 

Riku frowned and raised his own hand. Braveheart appeared in hand with barely any effort to call upon it. Sora looked over, his gaze a little sad, but understanding. 

“I think I gave it up for some reason. Maybe to save Kairi? Maybe… maybe so my last moments in that world wouldn’t be my last in any world… but I don’t remember.” 

Riku let his keyblade vanish and turned his focus to Sora. “If it was so you could stay alive, then I’m grateful that something was willing to make that deal. But we’ll figure it out. Maybe there’s something blocking your heart or something.” 

Sora nodded. “Yeah… maybe.” His sadness was still palpable though and Riku hurried to embrace him. 

Raising a hand, he gently pushed Sora’s bangs away from his face. “What’s wrong?” 

“I’m sorry,” Sora began, avoiding Riku’s gaze. “You must be getting exhausted from constantly saving me. I keep dragging you into my messes…” 

“Hey, no. Don’t say that,” Riku hurried to reassure him. “I  _ like  _ getting dragged into your messes. You’ve never left me to deal with mine on my own, so I’m not leaving you. I’m never leaving you, I—” 

Suddenly, the day turned to night as darkness fell. Riku gasped at the sudden change glancing around them. 

The park was empty, though Riku was sure that it had been filled with people just moments ago. “What’s—” 

“Riku!” Sora shouted. 

Riku summoned Braveheart, quickly glancing around to find the source of Sora’s panic. The shadows around the trees lengthened. They never really gained shape but were surrounding them. Riku lashed out with his keyblade, slashing at the shadow. It dispersed for a moment, but two more shadows quickly took their place.

“Riku, look out!” 

He felt hands at his back, pushing him out of the way. He stumbled and quickly turned. 

Sora had evidently pushed him out of the way of a shadow, but now that same shadow wrapped around Sora instead, squeezing tight. Riku gasped and quickly grabbed Sora’s hand, trying to pull him out. “Sora!” 

“Riku, let go or it’s gonna get—” 

“No way!” Riku shouted, letting go of Braveheart so he could grab Sora with both hands. “I am not letting go. No matter what, I’m not—!

Another shadow wrapped around him as well. Evidently their enemy, whatever they were, decided to take them someplace together. The shadows sucked them into the ground. 

Instinctively, Riku took a deep breath before they were sucked completely under, tightening his hold on Sora’s hands as he did so. 

Then everything went black. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day Six: _ **OF COURSE I LIKE HIM! HE’S MY BEST FRIEND!** | PARALLELS_

“Sora! Answer me!” 

No answer. Not even a tiny echo in his heart. 

Sora was gone again. 

Tears of frustration came to his eyes. Why? Why did they always have to lose each other? Why couldn’t he just have a moment with Sora? One day where everything was perfect and neither was dragged off somewhere else? 

“Sora! Please!” He called again. He had to keep trying. “Sora!” 

Still no answer. 

Riku bit down the tears. Sora would be fine. He always was. 

Riku would find him.

He just had to figure out where he was first. 

It was still dark around him, though he could feel that he was standing on something, the hard surface firm under his boots. The air was cool, but there was no breeze and no sound. 

If Riku had to guess, it almost felt like the time he had dove into Sora’s station of awakening when he had been swallowed by the nightmare. But he was pretty sure they were both awake. 

So then—

“What is Sora to you?” 

Riku jerked around at the voice, summoning Braveheart. “Who's there?"  
  
No answer, but nothing attacked him either. Was he just hearing things? 

He kept Braveheart raised as he looked around, trying to peer through the darkness. 

"It's rude to answer a question with a question" 

"It's rude to sneak up on someone and ask questions." Riku looked around, trying to find out where he was. " What kind of question is that anyway?” 

“One where the answer might lead you to him.” 

Riku gritted his teeth. The male voice with the teasing tone wasn't one he recognized, which only aggravated him further. Someone new trying to tear him and Sora apart? Won’t these guys ever learn? 

“Well?” The voice asked again. 

“What’s it to you?” Riku asked, backing up and searching for an exit. He had spent years hiding his affection for Sora from others, even from himself. He could avoid the question all day. “Sora’s great. My best friend.” 

“You ripped through the fabric of reality to get to him. Seems a bit more than a best friend.” 

Riku clenched his teeth at the words, said in that annoying  _ knowing  _ tone. Instead, he focused on his task, but to no avail. No matter how far he backed up, he couldn’t find a wall or even an edge. 

Where was he?

“You can’t run from the question you know.” 

“Tch,” Riku rolled his eyes. “I’ve spent years running from it. What makes you think you can get me to answer?” 

“Well, I did wait until you guys at least had a date.” 

Riku froze. This guy— Had he been following them? Or what? How could he have known? 

“Were you following us? That’s creepy. You some kind of stalker?” Riku continued to step backward carefully. He wasn’t gonna take this mysterious voice at his word that there wasn’t an exit. If there was anything that he had learned in his years since leaving the islands it was that there was  _ always _ an exit. 

“I’m merely an interested party.”

“Why take an interest in Sora?” 

“It’s less an interest in Sora and more an interest in you  _ and _ Sora.” 

“You honestly just sound creepier now.” 

“You know, my apprentices used to say the same thing sometimes.” 

That caught Riku’s attention. Apprentices? So.. was this guy some sort of Master?

Master of what?

“Well, maybe they were on to something,” Riku said, trying to stall for time. There was no edge or wall? What about under him? Or maybe a corridor of darkness. The thought made him sick, but if it was to save Sora, he would do anything. 

He would always do  _ anything. _

“Now that’s just rude. My apprentices loved me.” 

Riku rolled his eyes. This disembodiment of this voice reminded him too much of Xehanort’s heartless, but the tone was completely different. It did remind him of someone though. 

He just couldn’t think of who…

“It is fascinating to know to what lengths you’ll go to see him again,” The voice continued. “It’s like you two are bound together.” 

“Our hearts are connected,” Riku said simply and vaguely. “All hearts are.” 

“There’s a difference between a connection and a binding. Connections can be broken, found, and reforged again. But a binding? Bit more on the permanent side. Like joining two halves into one.” 

Riku felt his face heat up in a blush. The voice made it sound like a marriage or something. Of course… he knew his heart would always beat in tune to Sora’s. Always. 

“Of course, bindings don’t have to necessarily be romantic in nature. You know, with the way you’ve treated Sora in the past, one might wonder if you even like him…” 

“What?” Riku turned, trying to glare in the direction he thought the voice was coming from. “Of course I like him! He’s my best friend.” 

“But it’s more than that, right? More than a best friend?” 

Riku huffed in frustration, ignoring the voice and turning his focus inward. If he couldn’t hear Sora, maybe he could feel him. Their hearts beat in tune. 

But as he tried, it was just as before. It was like Sora… was right beside him. 

Riku suddenly remembered the dreams he had been having up until the night he had managed to cross into this city where he found Sora. The dreams where he and Sora stood on the same Station of Awakening, but couldn’t see each other. 

But even in the dreams, Riku could hear him. 

Maybe, if they weren’t dreaming, Riku would have to figure out another way to hear Sora. Not with his ears. Riku needed to listen with his heart. 

_ May your heart be your guiding key.  _

Sora did that all the time. Following his heart. He was an excellent teacher and Riku strived to follow that example. His heart had already led him to this world, where Sora was waiting, but now Riku would have to listen again. Listen for Sora and feel for him with every fiber of his being. 

He closed his eyes and tried to relax. Even out his heartbeat so he could hear it better and feel it’s rhythm. 

“Oh, now we’re gonna take a nap?” 

Despite the words, Riku felt that the voice knew  _ exactly _ what Riku was doing. He ignored that feeling though and instead focused on his heartbeat, listening for the accompanying tempo that had been there since he had been very young. 

_ Th-thump! Th-Thump! Th-Thump!! _ _  
_ _ Thump!!  _

Riku focused on that second heartbeat. Was it—?

_ Th-Thump! Th-Thump!! Th-Thump!!! _ _  
_ _ Th-Thump!! Th-Thump!!! _

There!

Sora’s heartbeat. In time with his own and so strong and warm. 

And it seemed to beat right beside him. 

Suddenly, Riku knew what to do. 

“It’s rude to ignore someone. So, do you like Sora more than a best friend? Maybe that answer will help you find him.”

“Oh I know how to find Sora,” Riku said, drawing on Braveheart. “But since you’re so curious, yes. Sora is more than a best friend. He’s my inspiration, my role-model, and my light. He’s everything. Which is why, no matter what you plan, no matter why you’re so interested, Sora and I will fight against it. And we will win.” 

Turning quickly, Riku struck out with Braveheart, focusing his energy on creating a door where there was none. A door between realities. 

As Braveheart struck through the air in an arc, a beam of light shown, warm and pure. Sora’s light. Riku just knew it. 

As he stepped through the doorway he had created, he could still hear that voice behind him.

“I’m looking forward to it.” 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day Seven: _**HE’S THE BEST TEACHER I COULD EVER HAVE.** | CURSE_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy!

Sora groaned as he woke up, feeling the familiar headache that indicated time had passed and he had been numb to it. 

Where was he now? How much time had passed? 

It was dark when he opened his eyes. Dark… because it was night? 

No…

He remembered something pulling at him. Pulling him towards the shadows. 

Where had they taken him? 

“Riku?” He called out, but received no answer. “Riku?!” 

Still nothing.

A spike of fear sent a shiver through Sora. What if… what if Riku had never—

“No!” Sora shouted aloud, curling in on himself to try and stave off the fear. “No. He was here. I know he was. I—” 

They had kissed. There was no way Sora had imagined that. Or dreamed it up. They had definitely kissed. It had been amazing. Just the thought of that warm embrace helped quell the fear that had been knotting up inside Sora, soothing it until he could relax and stand up.

He couldn’t stay here and panic. He had to get out of… wherever he was and go help Riku.

He took a step forward. As he did so, his eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, though it did little to help him discern where he was going. He took another hesitant forward, then another—

He gasped as his foot met open air and he pinwheeled his arms. It was only his quick reflexes that saved him from falling. He took a step back towards safety. 

A ledge? Sora shuddered. He had come close to falling deeper into this darkness. 

He bent down instead, reaching out with his hand to feel the edge. It was jagged, like something had been torn off violently. 

Frowning, Sora sat back. If he couldn’t go forward then—

“I wouldn’t go backward either. There’s no safe place to run.”

“Who’s there?!” Sora jumped to his feet. Instinctively, he held his hand out as he tried to call on his keyblade. 

Instead, there was a hard yank in his heart and he collapsed to his knees. That _hurt_. It had never hurt before when he called on his unresponding Keyblade, just left an ache in his heart. 

“I wouldn’t do that either. He’s not gonna let you have that back so easily.”

Sora gasped, clasping a hand over his heart. “Have what back?” 

“Your source of power, of course.” 

Sora gritted his teeth, slowly standing up. “My… power? You mean my keyblade?” 

“I guess, if you think that’s your power.” 

Sora frowned, not sure what this mysterious voice meant. “Okay, well, that doesn’t answer anything. How bout you show yourself and start making sense?” 

The voice didn’t answer, though Sora was pretty sure it did sigh. Then there was a sort of glimmer in the darkness. Not quite a darkness corridor, but more of just a shift in space. Then there was someone walking towards him. Someone Sora could see clearly even in the darkness. 

“Riku?” Sora frowned, the hair was right, but the body shape… was all wrong. “No you’re… I remember you were—” 

The other boy held a hand up, placing a finger over his lips. “Don’t give it away. I’m going to be the secret weapon.” 

“A secret—” Sora shook his head. “What does that mean?” 

“Nevermind.” 

“Oh come on! You can’t just say something like that and then just say ‘nevermind’! That’s worse than Riku!” 

“Is it?” 

Sora crossed his arms. “Yeah. Riku never likes answering questions. And he really liked being mysterious. Which was silly. He told me everything.” 

“Everything?” 

“Well… mostly everything. He didn’t tell me secrets. Which is also silly. I’m the best secret keeper ever.” 

“Our current conversation says otherwise.” 

“Hey!”

The other boy threw his head back in laughter, reminding Sora a lot of Riku. He wondered if this boy was any relation of Rikus somehow. Even if Sora knew every one of Riku’s family members back home. 

The boy slowly grew silent, and Sora turned around still trying to figure out where he was. He tried to remember what few things that Riku had said about the year he had lived in the darkness provided by the blindfold. 

_ Riku… how’d you even see enough to fight.  _

_ You learn to sense your surroundings. Takes patience though. Doubt you’ll be able to pull it off.  _

_ Just watch me! _

Closing his eyes, Sora sent his magic out, sensing his way. It hit obstacles just off the edge of the platform he was standing on. Some of the obstacles were small, the size of a small rock, others were larger. 

With a gasp, Sora opened his eyes. Now that he knew he was looking for, he could see the floating chunks of rock floating off in the distance. They seemed darker somehow than the darkness around him. “Is this… Where we’re standing. Is it broken? Or fading away.” 

The boy didn’t answer, and Sora realized that he didn’t want to know. Broken could at least be fixed. 

But fading away— 

That thought sent another sharp pain through Sora’s heart and it seemed to resonate with the air around him. 

What… what was happening— 

“So… you’ve learned to navigate your way in darkness.” 

The boy’s quiet words thankfully pulled Sora away from that feeling. That terrible hurt that felt like it was tearing him apart. 

He tried to grin, tried to remember what smiling felt like. He had been smiling just… just minutes before. With Riku in the park. 

Riku…. 

“Well, I’ve had to learn right?” Sora’s forced smile grew genuine as he thought of the silver-haired boy who had been with him for as long as he could remember. “Riku… he’s the best teacher I could ever have…” 

“What is Riku to you?”

“Huh?” Sora tilted his head, frowning. “Riku is Riku to me…” 

“No, I mean…. Like—” 

“He’s my best friend,” Sora continued. “If that’s what you mean. He’s the best friend I could ever have. He’s my… everything. He’s the one I want to go home with.” 

“And if that’s not possible?” 

Sora’s grin widened and he placed his hands on his hips, feeling confident about this one thing. “He’s Riku. Of course he’s gonna get us home.” 

As if his words were magic, a light appeared between Sora and the other boy. Blinking against the sudden brightness, Sora was surprised when he was suddenly wrapped up in a familiar embrace. “Riku!”

“Sora.” Riku pressed his lips to Sora’s temple, squeezing his arms tightly. Then, he let out a quiet chuckle. “I’ve always wanted to do that whenever I saw you after we were separated.” 

“What, kiss my forehead?” Sora chuckled, looking up into teal eyes. “Well, why didn’t you?” 

Riku’s face took on a pained expression. “Sora….” 

“I wouldn’t have minded. C’mon, it might have helped so we could have gotten to the kissing portion sooner.” 

Riku quietly groaned and kissed Sora’s forehead again. “Well, then I’m never gonna miss an opportunity again.” 

“Good!” Though, Sora rather hoped that they were wouldn’t be a need. He had no plans to be separated from Riku ever again, at least not for a long period of time. 

Riku hummed in acknowledgment and bent down so he could rest his head on Sora’s shoulder. Sora leaned up on his toes so Riku didn’t have to bend as far and took the opportunity to glance over Riku’s shoulder to meet the mismatched eyes of Riku’s near twin. 

The other silver-haired boy again raised his finger to his lips, then disappeared back into the darkness. Sora frowned in concern, and pulled away from Riku. “Where were you?” 

“Always with you,” Riku replied pointing at Sora’s heart. “I think… I think I was somewhere between your heart and mine. I think it was that place we keep meeting in our dreams.” 

“Oh?” Sora tilted his head. “Then where are we now?” 

“I think…” Riku squeezed him tight. “I think we’re in your station of awakening. Your heart.” 

“Oh.” Sora suddenly remembered how parts of it were fading away. “Wait! Riku, my heart is—” 

“I know,” Riku squeezed tight. “I know, I can sense it. But you’re okay. You’re still here.” 

It was only Riku’s grip and his reassurances that kept Sora from shaking apart. His heart was fading away. How was he—

“You’re still here,” Riku repeated. “I’m not letting you go. You’re still here.” 

“Riku…” Sora held back just as tightly. 

“I’m not letting you go,” Riku shook his head, shifting only enough to rest his chin on Sora’s head. 

Sora rested his head on Riku’s shoulder. The floating pieces of his station reminded him of something… like when he had discovered that Ven’s heart had been sleeping inside him all along. 

“Maybe I’ll just take a nap in your heart until you can figure it out.” 

“No way,” Riku shook his head. “Not unless it’s a last resort. But I’m taking all of you home.” 

“Maybe we can just do a sort of timeshare?” Sora asked, only half thinking about it. “I’m awake some days, and you’re awake on others…” He giggled at the thought of himself walking around in Riku’s body. 

At least he could reach high shelves finally.

He remembered Xehanort's heartless though and bit off his laughter. Suddenly the thought of taking control of Riku's body wasn't nearly as funny. 

"It would be okay if it was you," Riku said, evidently guessing why Sora's laughter had died. "But I still don't like it. I wouldn’t be able to kiss you and that’s non-negotiable.” 

“Oh.. yeah. That's a good point.” 

Riku squeezed his waist again. “Besides… you already have part of my heart. You always have, you—” 

Sora frowned, pulling away when Riku stopped talking. “Riku?” 

“You have part of my heart,” Riku’s grin widened, his eyes crinkling. 

Sora didn’t get it. “What? Riku, what do you—” 

“Your heart is connected to mine. It’s bound together. So, it stands to reason that we can share one heart. One station of awakening.” 

“Huh? Oh!” Suddenly Sora understood. “Like when we meet in our dreams?” 

“Exactly. That place where we’ve been meeting. That’s our shared station. It’s how I was able to find you and how you’re still here, even with your heart broken,” Riku kissed his forehead again. “And I know we can fix it. But, for now, we can share a heart station.” 

Sora met Riku’s eyes again and nodded. “Okay. yeah! A shared station. 

A light emanated from the platform at their feet, the glowing circle growling larger as it radiated outwards. After a moment, the full stained glass picture could be seen and Sora gasped. 

It was beautiful. A perfect mix of light and dark colors that reminded him of his and Riku’s Combined Keyblade. A portrait of him and Riku sleeping back to back, their hands crossing over the hilt of the Combined Keyblade, Sora grasping the hilt of Mirage Split, and Riku gripping Nightmare’s End.

“C’mon.” Riku held out his hand, and Sora took it.

Together they floated upwards and Sora was able to see how their combined Station of Awakening was situated between Riku’s and his own. They were almost completely overlapping now. He could see just the outer edges of Riku’s, whole and solid, while the outer edge of his own was the one that was broken and collapsing. 

“We’ll fix it, Sora,” Riku reassured him. “Ready to try to go home?” 

Sora almost nodded but hesitated. “I wish… You know I like saying goodbye. Neku and the others—” 

“We’ll see them again,” Riku said, squeezing his hand. “I have a feeling that we’re not done in that world yet.” 

Slowly, Sora nodded, believing Riku’s words. 

Riku raised his hand, and after a moment, Sora did the same. To his surprise, their combined keyblade appeared in hand. There was no pain in trying to summon it, it came just as easily as his Kingdom Key did. 

The tip of the keyblade glowed, opening a keyhole that would, in theory, give them passage back to their homeworld: Destiny Islands. 

Sora grinned, turning to look at Riku. “I guess I always needed you to guide me back.” 

Riku smiled in return. “And I always will, just as you guided me.” 

Hand in hand, they stepped towards the light. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Yozora. we still know so little about you and your personality... are you goofy? funny? "cool"? a jerk? We just don't know... So I hope you don't mind what I did with him here...😂😂😂
> 
> Tomorrow will just be a short epilogue. I know that I didn't really explain much. If anything. But something with more plot would have taken up way more time and brainpower than I have available right now. So I just focused on Cute Boys In Love and Just Want Time For Cuddles. ❤❤❤


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day Eight: _**BUT BE SAFE. NO RECKLESS STUNTS.** | DANGER_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last day for this fic! It's been really fun and amazing to use these prompts (even if I'm not sure I really did it right... 😂😂😂) I had fun anyway. 
> 
> Please enjoy!

Riku stretched, feeling the tension in his muscles relax a bit, though it quickly returned as soon as he leaned against the wall again. 

He had already received his lecture from Yen Sid about his reckless actions. And now it was Sora’s turn. 

And Riku couldn’t shake the tension away. 

_ “I suppose that this was to be expected…” _

_ “Sir?” Riku tiled his head. Yen Sid didn’t sound angry, merely resigned.  _

_ “I believe I once said that the reason we kept Aqua’s story from you was because I knew you or Sora would stage a reckless attempt at a rescue.” Yen Sid raised an eyebrow. “I should have known that, if it was either of you who were lost, then nothing I or Mickey said would have been able to convince you to not go searching for the other.”  _

_ “Uh,” Riku could only nod. It was true. “I’m not sorry for going, sir. Sora— he—”  _

_ “As I said, I should have expected this. As it is, you were successful in your endeavor. How did Sora manage to get so lost coming home?”  _

He had told Yen Sid of the mysterious voice he had heard when looking for Sora. About that strange dark place he had gone to when the shadows had grabbed him. Or Sora’s broken Station of Awakening. He knew Yen Sid wouldn’t leave it at that and he felt that there was another adventure coming up. 

Which usually meant—

“Glad that’s over…” 

Riku gasped at Sora’s sudden appearance. He hadn’t even heard him leave the room. “Was he that mad?” 

“No… just… kept droning on about the importance of using power wisely and what his means for the future and all that…” Sora trailed off, waving his hand. “I mean, I listened, and I get it. But I’m pretty sure he could have said some of it with smaller words.” 

Riku chuckled, then took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Sora’s waist and kissing his forehead. “I love you.” 

He felt Sora’s lips press against his neck and he suppressed a shiver. 

‘I love you too,” Sora breathed into his neck, then pulled away. He raised a hand and with a flash, the Kingdom Key appeared in hand. As soon as their hearts met in a combined Station of Awakening, Sora had been able to summon his Keyblade once more. Whatever had been blocking his power had been nullified by Riku’s influence. Riku wasn’t sure how it worked, but he was eternally grateful. There really was no better Keyblade wielder than Sora. 

After studying his blade for a moment, Sora raised his eyes to meet Riku’s. “Yen Sid is sending me on a mission to try and look for that box that Maleficent was after. He thinks that it might have something to do with that weird voice you heard.” 

“Oh?” Riku frowned. He knew that a new mission was coming. He just didn’t think it would be so soon. “When do you leave?” 

“Soon…” Sora looked away, biting his lip. 

Riku suppressed a groan. They just returned home. Barely had time to say hi to their friends, and now they would be sent off again. He wondered what his own mission would be. “Okay. But be safe. No more reckless stunts.” 

They shared a smile, both remembering their recent lectures from Yen Sid and his favorite way to term their recent adventure, as well as the moment months ago when Sora had said the words to Riku. 

Sora’s grin widened as he stepped closer into Riku’s embrace. “Then, I guess it’s a good thing I’ll have you with me.” 

What? Riku was at a loss for words. He’ll be… with Sora? “What do you—” 

“I told you. I never want to be far from your side again. I love you.” Sora took Riku’s hand raising it gently to his lips briefly, then met Riku’s shocked expression again. “I love you so much. Will you be my adventure partner for the rest of my life?” 

Despite Sora's silly dramatics, Riku still felt his heart stop at the proposal. Tears came to his eyes and he didn’t even try to resist as they streamed down his face. He nodded quickly, knowing very well that he looked silly. But it didn't matter, Sora would think he was cool anyway. “Yes. It’s all I ever wanted…” 

“I know,” Sora whispered, his own tears gathering in his eyes as he leaned up to place his lips on Riku’s cheek. “Me too. I’m sorry it’s taken so long for us to go on our own adventure.” 

Riku hid his tears in Sora’s hair, raising his hand to gently run through the brown spikes. “The first of many, many more.” 

Sora chuckled against him and Riku could resist no longer. He pulled away, gently using his grip on Sora’s hair to tilt his face up so he could capture those beautiful laughing lips in a deep kiss. It was still so warm and wonderful as it was the first time. 

And they would get to do it more while on their adventure. 

And for many, many years after that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can't separate them!!! They come as a pair!!! ❤❤❤
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed Soriku Week!!

**Author's Note:**

> Please check back every day for another chapter in celebration of soriku week! 
> 
> Also, feel free to follow me on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/Green_eggs101) I post sneak peeks and snippets of upcoming fics and chapters! 😁


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